Health care is increasingly complex, which increases the demand for knowledge and expertise. Despite this, the share of specialized nurses, including anaesthesia nurses, has decreased from 65% to 48% from year 1995 to year 2008, according to statistics from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) in 2010. Studies indicate that there may be various factors in the work environment that anaesthesia nurses, choose to leave the anaesthesia profession. The purpose of this study was to examine how anaesthesia nurses experienced the physical and psychosocial work. The study was conducted as a descriptive study with qualitative approach. The question guide consisted of semistructured questions relevant to the purpose of the study. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using manifest content analysis. A total of 20 anaesthesia nurses from five Central Swedish hospitals of varying size were interviewed. Anaesthesia nurses' physical and psychosocial work environment includes many stressors such as physical hard work in confined spaces, production and fulfillment, requirements and lack of control, varying relations to managers, hierarchies, team work, a lot of responsibilities, including supervision of students. The deep interest in the work, and the experience of doing an important work, offsetting to a minor part the anaesthesia nurses' work environment's negative expressions, and was a driving force to continue to work on. The results of this study should be supported by further research and investigate both the psychosocial and physical work environment for anaesthesia nurses and the impact on their psychosocial health. / Sjukvården blir alltmer komplex, vilket ökar kraven på kunskap och specialistkompetens. Trots detta har andelen specialistutbildade sjuksköterskor, däribland anestesisjuksköterskor enligt statistik från Socialstyrelsen 2010, minskat från 65% till 48% åren 1995-2008. Studier indikerar att det kan finnas faktorer i arbetsmiljön som gör att anestesisjuksköterskor av olika orsaker väljer att lämna anestesiyrket. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur anestesisjuksköterskor upplevde sin fysiska och psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Studien genomfördes som en deskriptiv studie med kvalitativ ansats. Frågeguiden bestod av semistrukturerade frågor relevanta för studiens syfte. Intervjuerna transkriberades och analyserades med manifest innehållsanalys. Totalt intervjuades 20 anestesisjuksköterskor från fem mellansvenska sjukhus av varierande storlek. Anestesisjuksköterskors vardag som innebar hårt fysiskt arbete i begränsade utrymmen, höga produktionskrav, bristande kontroll, varierande förhållande till chefer, hierarkier, teamarbete, handledning av studenter och mycket ansvar för patienten var en bra grogrund för stress. Det djupa intresset för arbetet, och upplevelsen av att vara betydelsefull, uppvägde till viss del anestesisjuksköterskornas arbetsmiljös negativa yttringar, och var en drivkraft att arbeta vidare.     Resultatet av denna studie bör styrkas med ytterligare forskning med syfte att undersöka både den fysiska och psykosociala arbetsmiljön för anestesisjuksköterskor, då resultat visar att fysiska faktorer även ger utslag på den psykosociala hälsan.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur fyra olika aktörer med skilda yrkesroller upplevde organisationens befintliga rehabiliteringsprocess med dess möjligheter och begränsningar samt deras synpunkter på vad som kan förbättras för att undvika sjukskrivningar. En förhoppning var också att kunna ge konkreta förslag på hur man kan arbeta förebyggande i syfte att undvika sjukskrivningar inom organisationen. Fyra minifokusgruppintervjuer, bestående av två till fyra personer, genomfördes där två fiktiva fall användes som diskussionsgrund. Materialet analyserades med hjälp av en induktiv tematisk analys, vilket resulterade i de fyra temaområdena; Verktyg för att förbättra hälsoarbetet, Insatser för att motverka sjukskrivningar, Begränsningar i hälsoarbetet samt Chefens roll i hälsoarbetet. I studien framkom att deltagarna ansåg att rehabiliteringsprocessen är ett bra verktyg som förenklar rehabiliteringsarbetet, men att den behöver fortsatt utveckling. Resultatet visade även att deltagarna hade många förslag på åtgärder för att förbättra den fysiska och psykosociala arbetsmiljön. / The aim of this study was to examine the experience, of four different actors’ with diverse occupational roles, of the existing rehabilitation process in the organization, with its limitations and possibilities. A further aim was to examine the preventive work and hopefully contribute with some practical solutions to counteract sick leave within the organization. Four mini focus group interviews with two to four people were carried out with two fictitious cases as a base for discussion. Data was analyzed by an inductive thematic analysis and resulted in four thematic areas; Tools to improve the health work, Efforts to avoid sick leave, Health work limitations and The manager’s role in health work. The study showed that the participants considered that the rehabilitation process was a good tool that simplifies the rehabilitation work, but it needs further development. The results also showed that the participants had many suggestions of how to improve the physical and psychosocial work environment.

Organizations strategically design the physical work environment to enhance employees' creativity. Understanding the impact of workspace layout on individual perceptions of creativity across generational cohorts can be vital to sustaining organizational competitiveness. Researchers have theorized that workspace layout affects employees' perceptions of creativity; however, few studies have looked at the effect of generational cohort on this relationship. A quantitative study was conducted to examine the effect of workspace layout on individual perceptions of creativity across generational cohorts. A sample of 162 participants completed an online demographics questionnaire as well as aKEYS, a modified version of the KEYS to Creativity and Innovation instrument. An ANOVA was used to determine whether generational cohort and workspace layouts affected the participants' individual perceptions of creativity. Results did not support the theory that workspace layout and generational cohort affected individual perceptions of creativity. However, these nonsignificant results can be used strategically by organizations to design physical workspaces that foster individual perceptions of creativity in order to attract and retain a diverse workforce by accommodating employees equally rather than on generational cohort membership. Social change implications are that the results can provide organizations with an understanding of ways in which they can effectively treat and meet the needs of the workforce as a whole, rather than develop strategies based on generational cohort membership.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Business Administration in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / Call centres have become an important source for organisations to provide efficient information to their customers through cost-effective communication channels. Call centres are defined as a work environment in which the main business is mediated by computer- and telephone-based technologies that allow the effective distribution of incoming calls to available staff, and permit customer–employee communication simultaneously with the use of display screen equipment (DSE) and instant access to information. Working in a call centre is often linked with high stress levels, difficult customers, shift work, high workload demand, absenteeism and high employee turnover rates. The work characteristics of call centres include performance targets where employees are required to achieve set targets, undergo close performance monitoring, performance appraisal systems, limited task variation, repetitive work and limited autonomy. The physical environment in the call centre is often associated with open-plan office layouts and booths where noise levels and workstations are positioned in close proximity to each other. Wellbeing in call centres has become a concern and the research was undertaken to establish what effects the working environment (physical environment and job characteristics) in call centres in the Cape Metropole has on the wellbeing of call centre agents. A quantitative research method was employed in the study. A structured questionnaire was distributed via SurveyMonkey® to call centre agents from four participating call centres in the Cape Metropole. The combined target population of the four call centres was 760. A sample size of 200 was determined by using the Raosoft Incorporated® calculation tool. Although the aforesaid sample size sufficed, a response rate of 275 was received. Questions relating to job characteristics and significance of the work were based on the Job Diagnostic Survey by Hackman and Oldham. Social support questions were based on the instrument developed by Caplan, Cobb, French, Van Harrison & Pinneau in 1975. Job demand questions were based on the instrument developed by Karasek in 1979, and only the section on job demand was used. Performance monitoring and physical work environment were measured by using the questions based on these variables by Sprigg et al in 2003. Emotional wellbeing questions relating to burnout were measured using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. The wellbeing questions relating to vocal health, optical health and auditory health were based on the questionnaires developed by Sprigg et al. in 2003. General health was measured using the “Somatic Complaints” section of the NIOSH Generic Job Stress Questionnaire. Musculoskeletal health problems were measured using the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) developed by Hedge in 1994. Research question 1 addressed the gender perceptions of job characteristics, physical work environment and emotional and physical wellbeing. A T-test was conducted to answer the research question and the results revealed that there was no significant difference in gender perception on job characteristics; however there was a significant difference in perception of the physical work environment and wellbeing. Research question 2 addressed whether there is a significant difference in emotional and physical wellbeing experienced by call centre agents from various industries. A MANOVA analysis was conducted to determine the significance in industries, p = .015, and an ANOVA analysis was conducted that revealed agents working in the online retail as well as financial service industries were more likely to experience disengagement, p = .035. Research question 3 addressed the factors in the workplace environment that contribute to emotional and physical wellbeing problems. An ANOVA analysis was conducted and the results revealed lack of skills variety, p = .014, contributes to exhaustion; lack of autonomy, p = .040, contributes to disengagement; lack of supervisor support, p = .009, contributes to exhaustion, job demands, p = .000, contribute to exhaustion, performance monitoring, p = .036, contributes to exhaustion; and workstation layout, p = .001, contributes to auditory health problems. Research question 4 addressed whether there is a significant relationship between job characteristics, physical work environment and wellbeing. A Pearson correlation analysis was conducted and the results revealed that there is a significant relationship between job characteristics, physical work environment, and wellbeing. It can be concluded that the workplace environment does have an impact on the wellbeing of call centre agents in the Cape Metropole. It is imperative that the management of call centres understand the nature of the job and how the physical environment contributes to job stress; burnout; vocal, auditory, and optical health problems; and musculoskeletal disorders. The researcher recognises that there are essential job characteristics associated with call centre work but that there are elements of the job that can be redesigned to improve the wellbeing of call centre agents. It is recommended that management implement interventions which will redesign those elements within the workplace environment that contribute to wellbeing issues. The findings of this study add to existing literature and knowledge of the workplace environment and wellbeing of call centre agents.

SAMMANFATTNING Prehospital sjukvård innebär akuta medicinska insatser som sker utanför sjukhus av hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal. I mötet med patienten ingår det i ambulanssjuksköterskans arbetsroll att värna om patientens integritet samt organisera omvårdnaden så att det främjar patientens välbefinnande och minskar lidande. Faktorer i miljön där vårdandet sker, i den prehospitala sjukvården, påverkar inte bara patienten och dennes anhöriga utan även ambulanssjuksköterskan. Arbetsmiljön inom prehospital sjukvård kan innebära hälsorisker för ambulanssjuksköterskan då arbetet kan vara både mentalt och fysiskt ansträngande eftersom det bland annat förekommer tunga lyft, omedelbar beredskap och ogynnsamma arbetsställningar. Det krävs en förmåga att arbeta under tidspress och att kunna hantera allvarliga situationer.   Syftet med studien var att belysa ambulanssjuksköterskans upplevelse av arbetsmiljörelaterade faktorers påverkan på omvårdnaden i den prehospitala miljön. Studien är en kvalitativ intervjustudie där författarna intervjuade åtta ambulanssjuksköterskor med stöd av en intervjuguide där informanterna fick belysa sina upplevelser och erfarenheter av arbetsmiljön i den prehospitala miljön. Intervjuerna analyserades sedan genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys för att ge en djupare förståelse för det studerade fenomenet. Resultatet visade att det fanns ett flertal faktorer i arbetsmiljön som ambulanssjuksköterskan upplevde påverkade omvårdnaden av patienten i den prehospitala sjukvården. Innehållsanalysen av intervjuerna resulterade i fyra kategorier, kommunikation, erfarenhet och utbildning, ambulansfordonet samt egen säkerhet och hälsa. Kategorierna sammanfattar informanternas upplevelser kring faktorer i arbetsmiljön som kunde påverka omvårdanden samt önskemål om förbättring och utveckling som kan påverka detta. Studiens slutsats innebar att det fanns många faktorer i arbetsmiljön som påverkade ambulanssjuksköterskans utförande av omvårdnad i den prehospitala miljön. Det visade att god kommunikation med kollega, patienter och anhöriga var av stor vikt för att kunna ge organiserad och adekvat omvårdnad. Många upplevde att det fanns ett stort behov av vidareutbildning för kompetensutveckling och förbättring av kommunikation med andra samverkande grupper för att förtydliga syftet med uppdraget och förbättra omvårdnaden till patienten. Det fanns ett behov av att vidareutveckla utrustningen i ambulansen samt utformningen av ambulansen för att minska risken för skador på kroppen. Nyckelord: ambulanssjuksköterska, fysisk arbetsmiljö, psykosocial arbetsmiljö, prehospital sjukvård, omvårdnad. / ABSTRACT Emergency medical service is healthcare that takes place outside the hospital and is performed by specializes nurses. In the interaction between the specialized ambulance nurse and the patient, it is important to address the patients´ well-being and organize the care to prevent the patient from unnecessary suffering. Factors in the environment where prehospital care is taking place are not often studied and is not something that just affects the patient, but also presents risks to the ambulance personnel as working in the emergency medical services can be both mentally and physically exerting. Working in emergency medical service includes heavy lifting, immediate preparedness, unfavorable work environments, and requires the ability to work under time pressure as well as the ability to handle serious situations. The aim of the study was to highlight the ambulance nurses experience of the effects of work environment-related factors on nursing care in the prehospital setting. The study was a qualitative interview study in which the authors interviewed eight ambulance nurses using a questionnaire where informants were able to highlight their experiences in the prehospital setting as well as their experiences of the work environment in the ambulance care industry. The interviews were then analyzed to provide a deeper understanding of the studied phenomenon. The results showed several factors in the work environment that affect the care of the patient in the prehospital setting. The content analysis of the interviews resulted in four separate categories; communication, experience and education, the ambulance vehicle and the workers own safety and health. The categories summarized the informants´ experiences about factors in the work environment and how they can affect these, as well as the desire for improvement and development in order to provide adequate and safe care for the patients. The conclusion of the study implied that there are many factors in the work environment that influence the ambulance nurse in the prehospital setting. Direct communication between the college, patient and their relative was important to be able to organize the care and provide safe medical care. However, many of the ambulance nurses experienced a need for further education and improved communication with other collaborative groups to clarify the purpose of the assignment and to improve the care of the patient. There was also a need for development of the equipment used in the prehospital setting and in the vehicle to prevent damages on the ambulance nurse´s health. Keywords: ambulance nurse, physical work environment, psychosocial work environment, prehospital care, nursing.

No description available.

Organisationsvärlden har under flera år stått inför utmaningen att anpassa sig efter den ökade digitaliseringen som sker i samhället, men när COVID-19 pandemin började sprida sig i världen i början av år 2020 fick många oförberedda företag ändra sina rutiner drastiskt. Studien syftar till att undersöka om och hur ledarskapssrollerna i kreativa team förändras av ett skifte från fysisk till virtuell arbetsmiljö. För att kunna besvara studiens frågeställning har en kvalitativ metod i form av fysiska intervjuer, intervjuer via videosamtal samt intervjuer via mejl använts. Totalt medverkade 12 respondenter på två olika företag, varav fyra av respondenterna hade olika ledarbefattningar och resterande var medarbetare med kreativa roller. Den insamlade datan har transkriberats och analyserats med hjälp av en innehållsanalys. Denna innehållsanalys resulterade i sex olika kategorier; ledarskap, kommunikation, gruppdynamik, motivation, produktivitet och kreativitet. Resultatet visade att ledarna på flera sätt anpassat sina ledarskapsroller efter skiftet från en fysisk till en virtuell arbetsmiljö men även att medarbetarna behövt anpassa sig på olika sätt. Ett virtuellt ledarskap kräver enligt studien mer struktur, tydlighet och medvetenhet än ett fysiskt ledarskap, samtidigt som medarbetarna också fått ett ökat ansvar och självledarskap. Medarbetarna kunde exempelvis i högre grad ses själva planera och överse det dagliga arbetet, samt ta mer egna initiativ till kommunikation och problemlösning. / For many years, organizations have tried to adapt to the increasing digitalization in the world. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread around the world in the beginning of 2020, many unprepared companies had to change their routines drastically. The purpose of this study is to examine whether and how leadership roles in creative teams are affected by a shift from a physical to a virtual work environment. In order to answer the research question a qualitative method with physical interviews, video interviews and interviews through email has been used. A total of 12 respondents participated from two different companies. Four of the respondents had management positions and the remaining were co-workers with creative roles. The collected data has been transcribed and analyzed using a content analysis method. This content analysis method resulted in six different categories; leadership, communication, group dynamics, motivation, productivity and creativity. The findings suggest that the leaders have adapted their leadership roles in several different ways since the shift from a physical to a virtual workplace, and that the co-workers’ roles also have been affected. Based on the results, a virtual leadership seems to require more structure, explicitness and awareness than a physical leadership. The co-workers were also given more responsibility and an increased self- leadership. They planned and reviewed their own daily work, as well as took more initiative when it came to communication and problem solving.

Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att identifiera vad olika ledare gör för att främja medarbetarnas hälsa när medarbetarna både arbetar på kontor och på distans. Problemformulering: Vad gör ledare för att främja hälsan för medarbetarna under hybridformer? Metod: Det här är en tvärsnittsstudie som behandlar fenomenet hälsofrämjande ledarskap under hybridformer med en deduktiv forskningssats och där datainsamling har skett genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer. Slutsats: Studien visade vad ledare gör för att anpassa sitt ledarskap för att kunna främja hälsan för sina medarbetare under hybridformer. Ledarna i vår studie kompletterade varandra genom olika strategier och tillvägagångssätt för att kunna besvara problemformuleringen. / Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to identify what different leaders do to promote coworkers' health when coworkers work both in the office and remote. Statement of problem: What do leaders do to promote coworkers' health in hybrid forms?  Method: This is a cross-sectional study that deals with the phenomenon of health-promoting leadership under hybrid forms with a deductive research approach and where data was collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews. Conclusion: The study identified what leaders do to adjust their leadership in order to promote health for their coworkers. The leaders in our study complemented each other through different approaches in order to answer the statement of problem.

Dagens arbetsliv håller på att förändras och coronapandemin påskyndade processen med distansarbete och digitaliseringen i arbetslivet. För att kunna prestera på distans underlättar det med ett bra självledarskap, men vi vill även undersöka sambandet mellan självledarskap och upplevelsen av distansarbetet.  Syfte och Frågeställningar Syftet med studien är att undersöka relationen mellan anställdas självledarskap och upplevelsen av arbetsmiljön under distansarbetet, för att belysa hur organisationer kan åtgärda och förbättra situationen för medarbetarna under vidare distansarbete. - Hur ser sambandet ut mellan anställdas självledarskap och upplevda arbetsmiljön under distansarbete? - Hur upplever de anställda sin psykosociala och fysiska arbetsmiljö under distansarbetet? - Hur kan organisationer förbättra självledarskapet och arbetsmiljön för sina anställda på distans? Material och metoder Studien baseras på en kvantitativ metod, där en webbaserad enkätstudie ligger till grund för analysen. Huvudresultat Generellt utövades ett högt självledarskap, oavsett bakgrund. Studien visar att de med ett högre självledarskap hanterade balans mellan arbete och fritid bättre. De har även lättare att strukturera och prioritera sina arbetsuppgifter under distansarbetet samt uppskattar de att vara mer tillgängliga för familjemedlemmar. Organisationer bör vid fortsatt distansarbete ta hänsyn till individuella aspekter hos de anställda, då valfriheten i att välja sin arbetskontext främjar både måendet och självledarskapet. Vidare bör organisationer uppmärksamma den brist på delaktighet och sociala kontakt med kollegor som de anställda upplever sämre. / Today's working life is changing and the corona pandemic accelerated processes of teleworking and digitalisation in working life. To be able to perform at a distance, it facilitates good self-leadership, but we also want to investigate the connection between self-leadership and the experience of distance work. Purpose and research questions The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between employees' self-leadership and the experience of the work environment during telework, to shed light on how organizations can remedy and improve the situation for employees during further telework. - What is the connection between employees' self-leadership and perceived work environment during telework? - How do the employees experience their psychosocial and physical work environment during the telework? - How can organizations improve self-leadership and the work environment for their employees remotely? Materials and methods The study is based on a quantitative method, where a web-based questionnaire study is the basis for analyzes. Results In general, a high level of self-leadership was exercised, regardless of background. The study shows that those with higher self-leadership handled the balance between work and leisure better. They also find it easier to structure and prioritize their work tasks during the distance work and they appreciate being more accessible to family members. When continuing telework, organizations should take into account the individual aspects of the employees, as the freedom of choice in choosing their work context promotes both the mind and self-leadership. Furthermore, organizations should pay attention to the lack of participation and social contact with colleagues that employees experience less.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur distansarbetare upplever förändringar i den fysiska- och psykosociala arbetsmiljön under covid-19-pandemin, med ett särskilt fokus på förändringar i balansen mellan arbetsliv och privatliv. Studien är baserad på kvalitativ metod. Datamaterialet samlades in via åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer och analyserades via en induktiv tematisk analys som resulterade i tre huvudteman och två till tre underteman. Resultatet visade att respondenterna upplevde förändringar i både den fysiska- och psykosociala arbetsmiljön och att distansarbetet bidragit till mindre vardagsstress och högre flexibilitet. Respondenterna hade däremot svårt med gränsdragningen mellan arbetslivet och privatlivet och de saknade den sociala interaktionen med arbetskollegorna. Respondenterna upplevde även att de blivit mer stillasittande och att de hade bristfällig ergonomisk arbetsutrustning. Det framkom även en tydlig brist på riktlinjer, utbildningar och utvärderingar gällande arbetsmiljön och balansen mellan arbetsliv och privatliv. Vidare önskar respondenterna en kombination av distansarbete och att arbeta fysiskt på arbetsplatsen i framtiden. / The purpose of the present study was to examine how teleworkers experience changes in the physical and psychosocial work environment during the covid-19 pandemic, with a special focus on changes in Work-Life Balance. The study is based on a qualitative method. Eight semi-structured interviews were analyzed by inductive thematic analysis, which resulted in three main themes and two to three sub-themes. The results indicated that the respondents experienced changes in both the physical and psychosocial work environment and the telework has contributed to reduced everyday stress and greater flexibility. However the respondents experienced difficulty with drawing the line between work and private life and a realization of the importance of social interaction with work colleagues. They experienced increased sedentary and inadequate work equipment. There was also a clear deficiency of guidelines, training and knowledge regarding physical and psychosocial work environment, as well as balance between work and private life. In the future the respondents wish to have a combination of telework and physical work at the workplace.